INDEPTH: AIRPORT SECURITY
National ID cards
CBC News Online | Dec. 7, 2004
It was a hot topic - for a while. On Nov. 22, 2002, Immigration Minister Denis Coderre called for a national debate on whether Canadians should be required to carry identity cards.
"Let's have a national debate for policy-making purposes. Do Canadian people feel that we should have a national ID card?" asked Coderre.
Coderre said the card would be based on the Maple Leaf card now issued to landed immigrants in Canada. The Maple Leaf cards contain biometric information such as fingerprints.
He said the cards would make it easier for Canadians to travel, especially to the U.S.
Over the next year, Coderre actively pursued the idea, organizing an invitation-only conference on ID cards that featured experts from around the world, including Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz. He was paid at least $27,000 for his expertise. (He called ID cards a good idea.)
As Coderre prepared to open the conference, a parliamentary committee threw cold water on the idea, saying a national ID program could cost billions of dollars without improving the security of Canadians.
In the wake of the conference, Coderre said cabinet would decide within months whether to go ahead with the idea. The issue was not resolved when Prime Minister Paul Martin called an election for June 28, 2004.
After the election, Coderre was dropped from cabinet and Judy Sgro was named immigration minister. The issue has not surfaced on her agenda.
Do other countries issue ID cards?
Yes.
Hong Kong introduced its Smart Identity Card in June of 2003. The card employs biometrics and is used for various government services including immigration and travel. Both thumbprints are digitized and stored electronically on the card. Cardholders have the option to add driver's licence and library card information.
Italy has the carta d'identita. It's an ID card carried by Italian citizens at home and abroad. Although the cards don't carry biometric information, they display the bearer's photograph, as well as place and date of birth. The card is available to all Italian citizens over 16 years of age. Although the card is not mandatory, an official with Italy's embassy in Ottawa says they are highly recommended - even for travel within Italy - as Italian police can stop citizens and ask to see identification.
Israel has an official identification document that citizens must carry by law by age 16. It's similar to a birth certificate and contains personal information and a photo. Attached to this is a paper that can be updated to list things like marital status. This identification does not contain biometric information. It's used as official identification, but does not erase the need for a separate passport for travel abroad.
Have other countries considered identity cards?
Yes.
After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, both the U.S. and Britain announced they would explore the possibility of implementing identity cards.
An American software company volunteered to donate the software necessary to integrate biometric recognition into the card being considered in the U.S.
The U.S. has since rejected the idea of a national identity card.
On Nov. 29, 2004, legislation was introduced in the British House of Commons that would pave the way for national ID cards. If the legislation is passed, the first cards would be issued in 2008. Parliament would have three or four years to decide whether to make the cards compulsory to own. People would not have to carry them all the time.
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